Art Cummings: Family, friends rally in wake of tragedy

Published 6:31 pm, Saturday, September 8, 2012

The tragedy was one of unimaginable horror.

John Wilkinson had smelled propane gas in his house at 109 Sunny Valley Road in New Milford and sent his two boys to a neighbor's home while he and a friend, Anthony Fratino III, addressed the problem.

The men thought they had found a solution when, suddenly, the 73-year-old house blew apart.

Seconds later, there was nothing left of the house but the chimney.

Fratino, 47, was killed by the blast, and Wilkinson and Fratino's 9-year-old son, Nicholas, suffered serious lacerations and burns.

Fortunately, Wilkinson's wife, Alice, who is pregnant with the couple's third child, was at work, and their two sons, Jake and Everett, were at the neighbor's home.

But two families' lives were instantly and forever altered.

The tragic explosion shook the New Milford community -- literally and emotionally.

Homes in the neighborhood were rocked by the force of the blast, which occurred at 6:40 p.m. on Aug. 29.

Countless residents within a couple of miles of Sunny Valley Road heard the explosion, and many of them reported that their house shook and that items were knocked off of desks and mantles.

The emotional impact was even greater.

Both families were well-known and well-liked, especially in youth soccer circles, and so many people were touched in one way or another.

My wife, Audrey McKay, knew both families and was brought to tears by the tragedy. My heart aches for the Fratinos and the Wilkinsons, and I know the community's collective heart is breaking for them.

And all those who came to the scene of the explosion had to feel sickened by what they saw.

"It was just an incredible sight; there's nothing left of the house," veteran New Milford Police Lt. Larry Ash said somberly the night of the incident. "I've never seen anything like this."

In the wake of such a tragedy, the Greater New Milford community immediately rallied in support of both families.

Anthony Fratino, a divorced father of two, was dead. His younger son, Nicholas, was fighting for his life, and his older son, Anthony, would never see his father come home again.

John Wilkinson was fighting for his life, too, and his family had lost their home and all their possessions.

Family members, friends and strangers alike rushed to the side of the Wilkinsons and the Fratinos.

Numerous individuals, families, groups and organizations have held or plan to hold fundraising events -- big and small -- for the families. Details about those fundraisers can be found on the New Milford Explosion Community Relief Facebook page, as well as in The News-Times and its sister paper, The Greater New Milford Spectrum.